Even during the brutality of the Dark Ages, the Vikings of Northern Europe were considered particularly fearsome, ruthless, and dangerous. For centuries, historians believed all Viking warriors were men, but new archaeological discoveries on a small island in central Sweden have revealed evidence that some of the fighters were women. See how modern forensic testing helped identify the sex of one female war chief.

The Agoojj were a small but powerful fighting force of women in West Africa that steadily expanded in the 17th century against the much larger Asante and Yoruba Kingdoms. Learn how this all-female, slave-raiding regiment terrified both the local populations and the Europeans sent to conquer them.

Ancient Rome interpreted Greek mythology by encouraging gladiator women to fight to the death as Amazons in the arena. Explore how these young women managed to survive in desperate conditions, why so many were ready to die for the sake of public entertainment and what skills they needed to stay alive.

Discover the origins of the Greek Amazon mythology and find answers among the ancient nomad warriors of the Eurasian grasslands. Hailing from the Scythian tribes, these warriors controlled a swathe from Eastern Europe to Central Asia and kept the great powers of Greece, Persia and China at bay.